I bought my Panasonic GF1 on the 15th December 2009. Twenty thousand images and nearly two years later, it is scratched and dirty, but it still knocks out great photos.
I have a Canon 1D which takes amazing sports shots and a Fuji X100 which takes beautiful photos in all levels of light (when it isn’t behaving like a total bitch); but if I could only take one camera on a trip, it would be the GF1.
It’s small, intuitive to use, great for both manual and auto focusing, and it turns out images that please me. It’s by far the best camera I have ever owned and I love it.
But two years is a long time in the camera industry and GF1 owners have been waiting for a replacement. The naming of the GF2 and GF3 promised an evolution; but instead we got increasingly smaller bodies with dumbed-down controls. The G3 is a step in the right direction, but there’s too much plastic and not enough buttons to play with, and the GH2 looks too much like an SLR. What we wanted was better image quality, more dynamic range, a built-in viewfinder as an alternative to the stick on piece of crap on the GF1, and we would have liked an articulated LCD panel; all preferably presented in an elegant, metal body.
And today what we got was the GX1.
Photo from DPreview
The good news is that it looks very much like a GF1. The bad news is that it looks very much like a GF1, with the same add-on approach to a viewfinder and no articulated LCD panel.
Still, although the LCD panel has not improved in quality or function, the viewfinder has, which might make it acceptable if not exactly elegant. The sensor has gone up from 12 to 16 megapixels which in principle is not good news, but a new processing engine may make the images the best of the current Micro Four Thirds cameras. It looks well-built and the auto-focus is extremely fast (see the video below).
The price is not bargain basement, $700 for the body only; and you can add another $250 for the viewfinder. But if you want to continue the photographic love affair that the GF1 provided, the GX1 may just be the upgrade you need. Probably won’t be seen in Thailand till the end of the year; which gives me some time to get some photo jobs done and save up some baht. Anyone want to buy a GF1, slightly soiled?
Video preview from DPreview:
Comments 🔗
2011-11-07| Clive saysSpike, Like many photographers I know (myself included) I see that you’ve made an attachment to the Panasonic GF range after a really good experience with an early model. I wonder if you have explored any other ranges? I recently upgraded from a Canon Powershot G9 to the later G12. Despite a drop in sensor size from 12.2 to 10MP, my assessment would be that overall it’s a much-improved machine. It has the articulated LCD panel that you mention (which isn’t without issue - fit a Schott optical glass screen protector and it won’t settle LCD-in on the camera body) and a range of useful features. My only gripe with this model - and the G9 before it - is that I find the ‘manual’ focus to be a chore… you have to use controls on the rear panel. On the plus side, the new (Sony-sourced) 10MP sensor is exceptional… I’m intrigued to know if you’ve tried one.
2011-11-07| Spike saysThe Canon G series used to be a good bridge between a DSLR and a point & shoot; but they have been superceded by M4/3 and similar. The G12 has a smaller sensor than M4/3, is a bigger and heavier camera, and the long zoom does not do the image quality any favours; and of course you can’t swap lenses. But having said all that, it is a perfectly capable camera and if it serves you well then that is all that matters.